President Obama arrives in Hawaii for Christmas

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

KAILUA, Hawaii (CNN) — President Obama and his family arrived in Hawaii early Saturday morning for their Christmas vacation.

The First Family touched down near Honolulu just hours after President Obama urged lawmakers to pass a fiscal cliff deal after the holiday break.

In an unplanned appearance before reporters on Friday, Obama outlined a possible deal he said would include the extension of unemployment benefits, protection from tax hikes for the middle class and a framework to further reduce the deficit.

The president plans to return to Washington after Christmas, and says he wants to sign a deal by the end of the year, before the fiscal cliff arrives.

If it happens, it will bring automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts.

Most members of the House and Senate are also going home for the holiday, with plans to return on Dec. 27, if needed.